


Love Confessions

by withinmelove



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cutesy, Developing Relationship, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Light Angst, Long Live Feedback Comment Project, Love Confessions, Mistletoe, No Sex, POV Hermione Granger, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27952571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withinmelove/pseuds/withinmelove
Summary: Hermione is trying to work up the nerve to confess her feelings towards Harry to him during their return to Hogwarts to finish their 7th year. Who knew admitting her romantic love would be so difficult?
Relationships: Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74
Collections: Discord Community Archive, Mistletoe Exchange 2020





	Love Confessions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Val_Creative](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/gifts).



> This is my gift for Val_Creative for the Mistletoe Exchange! I hope you like it :D  
> I was torn between writing for your Hermione/Harry or Loki/Thor _or_ Steve/Bucky. In the end, I picked the pairing I honestly don't see enough of which is H/H.

“It feels strange, doesn’t it?” Hermione murmurs. “Coming back here.”

She’s unable to stop staring at the thestrals as they pull the carriages across the forested grounds of Hogwarts towards the castle. Thestrals are the grotesque versions of winged horses as they have no skin or muscle on them. Instead the beasts are skeletal and hollow eyed. Perhaps the most disturbing part is how their bones clatter as the thestrals snap their jaws as they trot on. The creatures would be less horrifying if not for the fact that someone has to witness death in order to see them. Once upon a time it had only been Neville and Harry who could see thestrals. It’s saddening to think of how many students will be able to see the thestrals this year. It will be a rarity now of who _can’t_ see the creatures. 

Harry and Ron nod, subdued. Hogwarts looms over them, repaired back to its former glory, as if the Battle of Hogwarts never happened. The grounds are pristine as she’s ever seen them, and it’s rather unnerving to have all evidence magicked away. It’s not like she thought returning to Hogwarts for their seventh year would be easy or painless. In fact, she’d expected this to be horribly difficult. No matter the fact that a year has passed since the Battle, Hermione is aware that coming back to their once beloved school will reopen old wounds and memories. Nightmares, a thin cover for the traumatic flashbacks that terrorize her sleep when her guard is down, leave her shivering in a cold sweat. She is not naive in her choice in deciding to come back to this place, aware of what it will likely do to her. Nevertheless she still wants to return to Hogwarts. 

After her own revelation, it had taken her campaigning for the previous six months to convince Harry and Ron to come with her. Both of them had wanted to round up Death Eaters with Kingsley instead of finishing their final year at Hogwarts. Hermione doesn’t understand how they’re not exhausted from fighting Death Eaters. Perhaps it’s a bit of hero complex between the two of them, who knows. Regardless, Hermione doesn’t feel the same desire. In fact she’s sick of the bloodshed, of confronting evil. She’s ready to let others take care of the criminals and killers for once. 

What Hermione didn’t expect was for Harry to be the first one to concede to her logic. She’ll take her victory.

Ron, however, was far more challenging. According to him Hogwarts has nothing left to teach them they didn’t pick up while on the run and hunting the Horcruxes. Imminent torture and death was a rather big motivator to becoming proficient in various spellwork. Yet, Hermione was firm in that they needed to go back to finish their schooling. Ron felt that he suffered through six years of academia, and no power on Earth would convince him to return for their final year.

“Fred and George didn’t finish their Seventh Year,” he argued, “and they did well enough for themselves!”

The harsh reminder of Fred’s death knocked the wind out of her arguments. Hermione didn’t bring the topic again for a month- out of respect for his loss. However, she didn’t exactly give up on Ron. Not without putting up a fight.

The next time she brought up the discussion, she’d done so at dinner, getting Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Harry to cajole Ron.

Mrs. Weasley was a big ally in getting Ron back to Hogwarts. And so was Ginny, but Hermione suspected she just didn’t want Ron to get a year off his education when she couldn’t get the same. A pleasant surprise that Harry joined in to convince Ron as well.

What Hermione wishes for the most is to have a measure of normalcy back in her mind, something missing from their last seven years. This obsession to stop Voldemort had taken over six years of their lives, and she would be damned if she let them give another year. They aren’t heroes, despite whatever the Daily Prophet tried to say now. They were just normal kids returning for another year at Hogwarts. It was high time they, and the Wizarding World, moved on, and she believed that a year in Hogwarts, away from the paparazzi, would do them good.

Of course, she would be lying if she said she did all this out of altruism. Hermione blushed as she thought about Harry. She needed to confess her love, which would be a lot harder if he was running around chasing terrorists.

She was in love with Harry; she loved him since their time in the Forest of Dean. It would be a lie if she said she didn’t at least have a little crush on Ron when they were younger. But it was Harry who won out in the end. It was for him she was willing to sacrifice a lot for. 

Who knew that hunting for a Dark Lord’s soul hidden in the Magical World would let her come to terms with her own feelings?

She was almost glad Ron walked out in the middle of their Hunt. It made her realize what she wanted in the man she loved. Someone who loved her, supported and respected her, and would forever wish for her happiness, that was what she wanted in a man. And she found it in Harry, the kindest person she ever met, someone who would be willing to go to any length for her, and she knew she would do the same.

She now knew for sure who she wanted, and it was Harry. No matter what came in her way. But she was a bit naive to think that sorting her feelings out would be the hard part. Oh, heavens no!

Now, she needed to tell him about her feelings. And hope he reciprocates.

It’s no doubt foolish of her to be so hesitant seeing as Harry has already died once, so really she shouldn’t be holding back. But she hasn’t felt the time has been right. Not so soon after the death of Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Dumbledore, Severus and so many others. 

In the months of grieving afterwards, she and Harry had stayed with the Wealseys. It had felt more natural to stay with her two best friends than return home to her innocent parents, with their memories freshly intact.

Merlin, she had yet to tell them about their ‘vacation’ to Australia.

It was the understatement of the year to say that sorrow in the Burrow was smothering. With the tears shed between them all, Hermione is sure they could have filled a lake if they wanted to. Fred’s funeral had been the most awful to endure, even as George struggled to make light of anything and everything exactly as Fred would have done. Without shame on that day Hermione had leaned on Harry, never letting go of his hand unless absolutely necessary. He didn’t seem to mind in the least, not with the way he gripped her hand in return.

Hermione knows Harry loves her as she loves Ron, as a friend, but is there any possibility that Harry can see her in a romantic light? He and Ginny had been dating before they left to hunt Horcruxes, but after the Battle of Hogwarts and now at the Burrow, the collective grieving seems to have dissolved their romantic relationship. However, she isn’t sure of that and doesn’t want to make a misstep by assuming he’s now single. 

Well, no time to dwell on it now. She needs to focus on the mountain of classes awaiting her. Two months before the school year started again she’s been reviewing the material from sixth year and reading through this year’s textbooks. Hermione has got a comfortable grasp, however, her schedule still is going to be hectic. The thought of not seeing Harry every day as she has been at the Burrow is disappointing. Despite her uneasiness with flying, she’d convinced Harry to teach her some Quidditch moves so she, Harry and Ron could practice.

The reality of her workload hits her like a hippogriff two weeks in. Professor McGonagall (now Headmistress) gives her another time turner in order to make it to all her classes, which Hermione is extremely grateful for even as she’s still drowning underneath all the homework. Regardless, she refuses to give up. She loves her classes too much to drop any, especially considering this last year is for N.E.W.Ts. Harry and Ron disappear into their own class schedules, not to mention Quidditch. It’s now only during their shared classes and the odd meal in the Great Hall do all three of them see each other.

No doubt it’s rather silly of her to miss Harry. It's not like she never sees him anymore, rather she just spends less time with him. Such an inane thing to be sighing over, really. In order to make up for his absences, Hermione takes to writing Harry brief notes in her classes, ones that she doesn’t intend to ever share with him. The activity makes her feel better, giving her an excuse to daydream about Harry’s responses to her various questions and chattering on paper. It would amuse Ron to see Miss Teacher’s Pet daydreaming in class. 

When the weekend hits Hermione is _exhausted_.

She still wakes up at dawn because circadian rhythm is a bitch. Tired but unable to go back to sleep, she heads to the Great Hall for a quiet breakfast. For a moment Hermione pauses at the foot of the stairs leading up to the boys’ dormitory, tempted to go see if Harry is awake yet. During their time at the Burrow, she’s gotten used to waking Harry and Ron up for breakfast each morning. The memory of a drowsy Harry with bedhead stokes the warmth of tenderness in her chest. She shakes her head after a second. A good guess is that Harry and Ron both are out on the Quidditch field doing warm-ups, no sleeping in for them. Hermione smiles to herself as she continues across the common room to the portrait hole. In the end, likely it wasn’t her who convinced either of her friends to return to Hogwarts but Quidditch. A sport that gives them happiness no matter what else is happening in their lives.

No surprise for an early morning Saturday no one is in the Hall eating. Breakfast consists of pancakes with syrup, two cheese omelets, and bacon. Drowsy and full, Hermione heads off not to the library or the Gryffindor common room, but the Room of Requirement. The thought to go there has been in the back of her mind since the beginning of the week, as in the Room of Requirement nobody will bother her. After the Battle, Hermione is guessing no one from Dumbledore’s Army feels the need to practice Defense Against the Dark Arts anymore. There’s the possibility they obliterated the room from when Crabbe engulfed the place with cursed fire. She wants to see if it’s still there. 

Once she’s on the seventh floor in the correct corridor, three times she thinks of what she wants the Room to be. On her third pass, the door appears to her relief. Inside, various couches, recliners, and beds piled up with pillows and blankets fill the room. The room has its lanterns dimmed, giving the place a near dark, cozy look. Happily, Hermione sinks into the closest bed, pulling the thick duvet over herself along with the bedsheet. Here, after a few hours, she’ll start her homework she brought with her. Right now, she’s going back to sleep. Once she wakes up, if she’s got any luck, she’ll find Harry here later today in the common room or maybe down at Hagrid’s hut.

\--

Hours later, Hermione wakes refreshed and, for once, relaxed. It’s...odd to feel normal after all that’s happened over the past year and a half. She sighs. Likely she should go to one of the Therawitches on staff to discuss these turbulent feelings: the guilt, the anger, the bereavement. Despite her rational thinking, it’s difficult to convince herself she has a good enough reason to take up the Therawitches’ time when she’s not experienced the death of a brother, such as Ron has suffered, let alone many of their peers with various family members.

The creak of the door startles Hermione from her thoughts. She looks over to see Harry standing there! He’s wearing pajama bottoms, and a very worn tank top. He looks comfortable and somehow even more handsome for it. How she’s missed this sight from the Burrow, how much Hermione wants to see him looking like this every morning.

“Harry! Were you at Quidditch?” She asks, moving over in the enormous bed. He smiles at her and flops down with a cheerful sound. 

“Yep. Morning practice as usual. I’m surprised you’re in here though.” He looks up at her, curious. “I’ve been coming in here to nap after practice. No one wakes me up, unlike our dorm room.” 

Hermione laughs fondly, ruffling his hair. God, how badly she wants to confess her feelings. Better yet, she’d love to snuggle down with him and snog. Instead, she suffices for stroking his hair, which earns her cheerful noises from Harry.

“I only just started using it today for a nap. I’ve been thinking about it since we came back. Figured no one else would use this place.” 

Hermione knows she’s smiling like an idiot at him, but Harry doesn’t seem to mind in the least. Those beautiful light green irises gaze up at her, although his eyelids are drooping as she caresses his hair and scalp.

“We both can use it. You can do homework. I was just going to sleep for a bit.” Harry mumbles already starting to nod off. Hermione nods as Harry settles under the blankets while she arranges her homework in priority of the nearest deadline. Soon enough Harry is asleep as she works on her various essays. Every so often, she can’t help glancing over to watch him and stroke his hair ever so lightly, admiring his peaceful sleeping expression. At some point, she knows she needs to stop being such a chicken about admitting her feelings for him. The worst case is that he doesn’t return the same romantic interest, which she can handle, no matter how much the rejection may hurt. 

When he wakes a couple hours later, Hermione has gone to the kitchens and come back with lunch. The house-elves eagerly prepared a feast, even though she only asked for a couple of sandwiches. 

“You got food,” Harry croaks, voice raspy from his nap. Hermione nods as she sets the tray down on the bed between them. She could very much get used to this arrangement of taking naps together and afterwards sharing a meal. 

“I was getting hungry, and I assumed you’d be ready to eat again after Quidditch practice and a nap.” 

“Thank you, Hermione, that's sweet of you. I’m lucky to have you around.” Harry says playfully, pulling one of her curls before tucking into the large platter of food. Yes, this is something she would love to continue for as long as possible.

By the time they leave the Room of Requirement it’s late afternoon, almost evening. Hermione is only a little startled to realize how late in the day it’s gotten without her noticing. Dusk is falling outside the glass windows, and the torches in the hallways flaring to life at the approaching darkness. They head back to Gryffindor Tower. It’s unspoken that they will find Ron and have dinner together as usual. It’s a weekend tradition they set into place their second year at Hogwarts the first week back to school.

Ron is in the common room, half-heartedly working on his homework. He’s got various books, stacks of parchment, multiple quills, and a plate of snacks crammed onto the table he’s sitting at. Easily, Hermione can take a guess he’s only just now getting started. At least that’s something new. Normally, he waits until Monday morning to start anything, and even then he wants to copy her homework. Ron looks up as they walk through the portrait hole together. 

“And where have you two been hiding? Harry, you disappear after Quidditch and Hermione - I think this is the first time I’ve seen you since our Thursday class.” Ron says with a grumble. She should feel bad that she and Harry have inadvertently left Ron out of the loop, but truth be told, she’s glad to have some alone time with Harry. Until The Forest of Dean incident where Ron stormed out on them, she’s rarely had time one-on-one with her other best friend. She has no guilt over the fact she wants more alone time with Harry. 

Harry shrugs with an easy smile, settling himself in his favored squishy chair closest to the fire. “I ran into Hermione after practice and we got to talking. Lost track of time. Anyway, how about we go see Hagrid tomorrow evening? I know he misses us,” Harry easily offers, sliding away from where he and Hermione had disappeared together. Hermione grins as she sits down in a beanbag. A moment later Crookshanks appears, jumping up into her lap. It’s not a secret per se but...a sweet bit of privacy that Harry is willing to keep between them. 

\--

They continue meeting in the Room of Requirement whenever possible. 

Most days, Hermione is in there by herself. She has the most work out of the three of them, and anyway Harry has Quidditch that takes almost just as much of his time as her classes and homework do on her own. In her classes, Hermione still writes her letters to Harry when their schedules keep them apart for more than a day. It’s safe to say her thoughts have turned to less than innocent daydreams since Harry slept in the same bed as her. Various scenarios wander through her mind’s eye of waking Harry up from his naps by kissing him awake, draping herself over his warm, sleepy body and stroking her fingers through that thick, messy hair. Better yet, she would very much enjoy Harry spending some much more time playing with her hair, and she certainly wouldn’t mind if his hands wandered down her back and lower. 

However, the time they do have alone together is something she treasures. It seems like she can never get enough of it - she’s always looking forward to the next day when either she’ll walk in to find Harry or he finds her. Most of the time they talk only a little, chatter and then fall silent with whatever they’re working on or playing with, often just napping after an exhausting round of classes and clubs.

The first time she wakes up next to Harry is during a nap. She was the first one to arrive in the Room, gladly snuggling into bed. Without realizing it, she’s out like a light. It’s not until the mattress shifts beside her that Hermione startles awake, groggy. The ceiling above her isn’t her dormitory ceiling.

“Just me, Hermione,” Harry whispers as he lays down beside her. The blush that heats her face she knows is obvious, thankfully, though Harry doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he gets himself comfortable and the blankets settled how he likes around himself. Really, the Room of Requirement has just become their place to nap together and hang out quietly. Maybe she should feel guilty that they’re not including Ron, but this time they share is...different from when they all hang out together as friends. For the first time in a long time, not counting the stressful Forest of Dean, she and Harry are spending time alone together. 

Still...

“Harry, are we bad friends for not inviting Ron?” she asks softly. The heat of the blush takes over her entire body when Harry looks at her from his pillow. The intimacy of being in bed with a man she loves as a friend and desires as a lover has arousal flaring up. Quite the quandary she’s in right now.

He thinks for a moment, “Friends, don't hang out all the time. Besides,” Harry grins at her and _damn_ her blush is back stronger than ever. “I don’t think Ron would really like taking naps together. He’d get bored. Also, you know as well as I do that he snores. And I like getting to be alone with you.” 

Hermione nods, comforted. “I do too, Harry.” She whispers back. 

\--

The Room of Requirement becomes their nest for doing homework and their hobbies. Hermione has brought her knitting supplies in here, her leisure reading books, and a journal she keeps promising herself she’s going to start writing in to help decompress. 

Harry brings his homework but also his Quidditch cleaning and repair kit (tenderness squeezes her chest; he’s brought her Christmas gift from so long ago with him), Wizarding Chess, and even Muggle books. Comics, in fact.  
What surprises her one day is that she comes in to find _Harry_ journaling one day. 

She opens the Room’s door, and for a split second her heart jumps into her throat to see Harry writing in _her journal_ while sitting in one of the oversized recliners. It takes her a second to realize no - in fact, he’s not. He just has a similar style notebook. 

“I didn’t know you journaled,” she says, closing the door behind her. Harry looks up to smile at her as he closes the notebook. 

“Yeah - I just started yesterday. Besides, when I’m not in here with you, I haven’t been sleeping well, so I finally went to one of the Therawitches. She said journaling would help empty my mind and help me sort out my thoughts,” Harry explains, patting the open space on the recliner as she moves to sit on one of the many couches. A thrill of excitement runs through her at his casual gesture. Without hesitation, she settles herself down beside him in the recliner. A small flame of arousal warms her at being pressed against his side from shoulder to ankle. How she loves and craves the firmness of his body against hers. 

“I thought about going but...” Hermione shrugs, embarrassed now to admit her reasoning. “It seems like I have no- no reason to go.” Her throat tightens as heat burns her eyes, warning of impending tears. She didn’t expect to cry, trying to talk about going to therapy. Harry, however, doesn’t seem bothered at all by this sudden display of emotion from her. He wraps his right arm around her shoulders, gently playing with her curls as Hermione tries to collect herself. This habit of his to play with her hair that’s developed over the past few months is one that she very much enjoys.

“I just...I feel like I don’t have a reason. My parents are alive. I didn’t lose any siblings like Ron did, Harry. Of course, we all lost friends and- and that’s _awful_. I can’t stop thinking about the fact that they’ll never get to grow old. They'll never get to do what they dreamed of doing.” Hermione can tell she’s spiraling, which isn’t good. 

“Hermione,” Harry states in a firm voice, causing her to look at him instead of the duvet. “I really think you should go to therapy too. Just because you didn’t lose blood relatives doesn’t mean you suffered any less. It’s hard to dig through all the stuff we’ve gone through, but I promise it’s worth it.” 

Hermione nods, leaning into him resting her head on his shoulder. Harry’s right. She needs to discuss this trauma with a therapist. It’s not fair or healthy towards herself to keep holding onto it for the sake of misplaced pride in not seeking help. 

“Thank you, Harry,” she mumbles. He rests his head against hers.

“You don’t have to thank me, Hermione. I want the best for you.” 

Hermione hums. “Still- thank you. For everything and not just recently but everything.” Her heartbeat is galloping wildly. “I love you, Harry.” She dares to glance over his face to find him grinning.

“I love you too, Hermione. And if it’s not too weird, would you want to go to The Three Broomsticks for a date? I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while but,” he shrugs, sheepish, “it never seemed like the right time, and you’re way too clever and cute for me.” 

This comment gets a laugh out of her as she nudges Harry, blushing at the compliment. 

“Yes, I’d very much like to go on a date with you. I’m also finally going to kiss you after all this waiting.”

**Author's Note:**

> My beta sreside94 was of great help to me getting this story in top shape! Aka by putting in all the commas you see. The second beta to help me get Hermione's characterization done was Bastet! It's been awhile since I've read the books so I definitely needed to some help on polishing her up. Their ao3 is TexasDreamer01, please check them both out!  
> Thank you very much to you both! This fic is greatly enriched by having you two put in the effort and time to help me polish it and point out what flaws needed to be fixed.
> 
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